Bill
Paxton and Ben Kingsley square off in a battle between good and evil.
Good, old-fashioned family entertainment. No sex, nudity or seriously
objectionable language.

Family Audience: B

Solid-action
thrill ride for children 5 to 15. Cool rescue vehicles piloted by
wholesome family and friends. Rated PG for one very mild expletive at the
end.

Teamwork is the name of the game in
Universal Pictures’ new film Thunderbirds. Solitary and impetuous seekers of fame and glory need
not apply.

Bill Paxton plays billionaire
ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy. Tracy and his sons operate a rescue organization
that comes to the aid of people all over the world during every imaginable
natural and man-made disaster.

Each mission requires simultaneous and
selfless cooperation among Dad Tracy and all four sons. That’s what The
Hood (Ben Kingsley) is counting on when he sends a speeding missile into the
Thunderbird space station orbiting earth.

Thunderbirds
is based on the cult-favorite ‘60s British television series of the
same name, which followed the adventures of the Tracy family and their
futuristic fleet of international rescue vehicles.

This explains a cast of characters
dominated by Brits. Director Jonathan Frakes (StarTrek: FirstContact, StarTrek:
Insurrection) wanted the updated version performed with a stiff
upper lip, and strong, uncompromising female leads like Lady Penelope
(Sophia Myles) and Transom (Rose Keegan).

These fearless ladies from the U.K. are
smart, single-minded and sassy. They also fight fair and don’t whine when
they lose. Although each is on the opposite end of the good-and-evil
spectrum, they’re charming in their own beguiling ways.

Lady Penelope is a good-looking
millionaire aristocrat and secret agent assisting the Thunderbirds whenever
they need a hand. She gets chauffeured around by her loyal and equally
talented partner Parker (Ron Cook) in a stylish pink, six-wheeled vehicle
that travels on land, sea or air.

On the other hand, Transom, The Hood’s
right-hand woman, has a face only a mother could love. She may be wardrobe
challenged but she has one redeeming quality: she finds intelligence an
aphrodisiac.

When she meets The Brain (Anthony
Edwards) she almost loses herself until her boss, The Hood, reminds her of
their evil mission.

Lest we forget, Thunderbirds
is a large a film about boys and their toys. The toys are impressive on the
big screen and will blow you away. No poor quality CGI here. There’s a
silver-gray, high-speed reconnaissance rocket; a giant green version of a
C-5A Jumbo Jet that looks like a blowfish; a red-rocket space shuttle; a
yellow mini-submarine with lobster-like gripping arms; and a mini space
station in geo-stationary orbit.

Watching these vehicles in action is
half the fun and keeps the attention of every kid in the audience. One of
the Tracy boys stores these monstrous machines at his island hideaway in the
middle of the South Pacific. This island paradise looks like it was lifted
right out of that old television show the LifestylesoftheRichandFamous.

Kids at the screening were impressed
watching a sprawling mansion split in two with giant doors opening up
between, followed by a thundering boom as the ship blasts off in plume of
smoke. Other Thunderbird ships follow suit on route to rescue John Tracy,
now trapped in the damaged space station above earth.

Upon arrival, the doors suddenly lock,
and The Thunderbirds are trapped inside as the space station begins a slow
descent into the earth’s atmosphere.

But wait, Alan, the youngest Tracy, has
stayed behind because he’s too young to fly the big machines.

He enlists his friends Fermat (Soren
Fulton) and Tin Tin (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) to rescue the Thunderbirds and
foil The Hood and his gang. Bespectacled Fermat looks like he’s nine years
old, and his brilliance reminds me of Dexter from the television show Dexter’sLaboratory.

Despite being a teenage girl, Tin Tin is
more outdoorsy than an Eagle Scout and possesses telepathic skills that
prove very useful. Unfortunately, Alan is cocky and ignores the advice of
his more talented mates to his demise.

All is not lost, however. At the 11th
hour Alan discovers the power of teamwork, and our young heroes seize an
opportunity to free the Tracy clan from certain death and save the world.
Along the way, Alan realizes the secret of the Thunderbirds’ success: all
for one and one for all, and next time you’d best listen to your mates.